The Illusion that Cannot Be Captured
by aiiro
Summary: In a parallel world where Tsuna and the others didn't meet Irie Shouichi, the Vongola Boxes were never created and the Vongola was destroyed by the Millefiore, one guardian manages to escape and unexpectedly reaches the 'canon' world. Chrome-centric in the future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

(Vongola Mansion: Namimori, Japan)

A very important Guardians' meeting was being held that day. Everyone's presence was required, which was why Hibari Kyoya was restraining himself from attacking the Real Illusion of Rokudo Mukuro (who was smugly smirking across him) that was created and being maintained by Chrome Dokuro.

Only a few minutes had passed since the meeting began and there was already a thick tension hanging in the air.

"Tenth, you can't be serious when you say that you are going to destroy the Vongola Rings!" Gokudera said, raising his voice against Tsuna which was a rare sight to be seen or heard.

"Hayato, as I said before, the mere existence of the Vongola Rings can be a source of war, especially right now where there are news of Families waging war against each other just to steal rings."

"But Tenth…!"

"Kufufufu… On this matter, I'm with the puppy," Mukuro said. Gokudera's angry bursting of, _"the hell you are calling a puppy, pineapple bastard!"_ was left ignored. "Sawada Tsunayoshi, do you foolishly believe that by destroying the rings, you will prevent a war? Don't be naïve. This is the world of mafia. You are not a _saint_ but a _mafia boss_. You cannot stop the war and save everyone. Stop your foolish dreams and look at the reality of the situation. A war will happen whether you like it or not. "

Tsuna sighed. "Okay. Since the two of you are _really_ against my idea, we will do a voting on this. If the majority of you are against it, then I will reconsider. Of course, my vote will not be counted to make it fair."

"I'm sorry Tenth but I'm definitely against it," Gokudera began.

"Kufufufu... I'm against it."

"Well, I trust Tsuna's decision, so I'm fine with it," Yamamoto said while smiling and scratching his cheek.

Ryohei nodded. "That's extremely right. Sawada knows what he's doing; he wouldn't do something that would harm his Family. I will agree with him."

" _Yare yare_... All this serious stuff about rings and wars..." Lambo said while scratching the back of his head. "Tsuna-nii is my _nii-san_ , so I will do what he wants."

"And you, Kyoya?" Tsuna asked.

"Hn. Not interested." That answer was met by silence and stares from his fellow guardians.

"WHAT?! DAMN BASTARD!" Gokudera yelled as he slammed his fist on the table. "WHAT IN THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!"

"I can protect the discipline in Namimori _with or without_ a ring."

"DAMN IT! YOU AND YOUR STUPID OBSSESSION TO THIS STUPID TOWN!" This statement was met by a glare from Hibari.

" _Maa maa_ … Calm down Gokudera," Yamamoto said, trying to stop the fight between his fellow guardians.

"Stop it, guys," Tsuna said, internally face palming at the situation, "We will skip Kyoya's vote for now. How about you, Chrome? What is your opinion about this?"

"I..." Chrome started with a small voice, but gradually spoke louder to convey her words with resolve, "I believe in _Bossu's_ decision."

"Well... I guess that settles it," Tsuna said with relief _,_ "Even without Kyoya's vote, the majority has voted that the Vongola Rings will be destroyed."

"But Tenth! Please! I beg of you! Please think about it once again!" Hayato pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Hayato, but my decision for this matter was already firm: we will destroy the Vongola Rings tomorrow."

Hayato dejectedly avoided Tsuna's gaze and only looked at floor.

"Don't regret this decision, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Don't blame us for not stopping you from making one of the most stupid decisions in your life if you die."

"I won't, Mukuro. This is my decision. This is my _dying will,_ " Tsuna said, "Meeting adjourned."

One by one, the guardians stood up and left the room. Chrome dispelled her Real Illusion of Mukuro. With that, only Chrome and Tsuna remained inside the room. Chrome stood up and walked towards him.

"Chrome? What is it?"

"Bossu, I have something to tell you…" she started, "I have a favor to ask."

"Go ahead and say it."

"I know that this is not the right time to ask this, but I'd like a vacation."

Tsuna raised an eyebrow at this. "A vacation? Where?"

"Please let me go to France," Chrome elaborated.

"Why? Is something wrong?"

Chrome clutched the hem of her shirt, a habit Chrome unconsciously did whenever she was nervous or _lying;_ Tsuna saw this but didn't say anything. She may have been a mist, but one of her unique traits was that she could not lie, especially to those who were close to her.

"I… I might have asked it as a vacation, but… but the truth is… I'm going to retrieve a Kokuyo informant."

 _She's half-lying,_ Tsuna's Hyper Intuition said. "Kokuyo informant?"

Chrome hesitated to answer. "It's… It's M.M."

 _M.M.? The girl with the clarinet?_

"Bossu...?"

"Well... It's as you said earlier: I can't let you go this week. How about next week? You're not in a rush, right? Did something bad happen to M.M.?"

"No, no. She's perfectly fine. She... She just needs me to escort her back to Japan."

"Well… How about this? I'll make that your mission: next week, go to France and meet up with M.M. Of course, since this will be your mission officially, the Vongola will pay for all your expenses."

Chrome bowed. "Thank… Thank you very much, Bossu!" It was evident from her voice that she was crying. She raised her head up. "I'm really grateful," she said with a smile and then left the room.

* * *

 _"Mukuro-sama, I… I did it."_

 _"You've done well, Nagi. He doesn't seem suspicious but that doesn't mean he believed you. I guess you're getting better at lying."_

 _"Well… It's not like everything I said was a lie."_

 _"Half-truths are nothing better than lies, my dear Nagi. Lies hide within the truth…"_ Mukuro began his lies and truth speech. Chrome knew what direction that conversation was going so she quickly cut him off to change the topic.

 _"Mukuro-sama, I'm sorry, but our plans will be delayed for a week because of me."_

 _"Don't worry, Nagi. We can use that time to prepare. After all, we can't afford to make a mistake."_

 _"Yes. We will make sure that we will break you out Vendicare Prison."_

* * *

After a few seconds, Tsuna left the room. The moment he stepped outside, he saw Hibari.

"What did you and the Mist herbivore discuss?" He started his interrogation.

"It was nothing important." That statement was answered by a glare.

Tsuna sighed. "Why do you have to know, Kyoya?"

"I am the one in charge of information. I must know everything that is happening."

"She asked to go France." Tsuna paused. "She used the excuse of meeting up with M.M. but I don't believe it."

Hibari dangerously narrowed his eyes. "Elaborate."

"Well, at first it seems like a plausible excuse: M.M. came from France and is a Kokuyo Gang member. But my Intuition tells me that they're after something else." Tsuna paused again and looked straight at Hibari's eyes. "Vendicare Prison is located in France."

Hibari immediately got the hidden message. "They're planning to break Rokudo Mukuro out?"

Tsuna answered that with a shrug. "I gave her my permission. _No, I made it her mission_."

"When?"

"I told her to go next week since our hands are still full right now."

"Did you tell her about your plan?"

"No. I didn't tell anyone else but you. After all, I know that they will be against me negotiating with Byakuran after we destroy the Vongola Rings."

"Hn." And with that, the interrogation was over and Hibari walked away.

* * *

The next day, the Vongola Guardians once again gathered, but this time they were not in the meeting room but on a small hill near the Vongola Mansion.

"Right now, we are standing on the hill that is unofficially marked as the graveyard of Vongola Primo and his Guardians," Tsuna declared, "We're going destroy the Vongola Rings, so I thought it would be appropriate for them to join their former owners after they're destroyed."

Tsuna removed his ring from his finger and placed it inside a small bag. "Place your rings inside the bag."

The Guardians obeyed. They removed their rings from their fingers and placed it inside the bag. When all rings were placed inside, Tsuna closed the bag and sealed it tightly.

"Ryohei."

"What is it, Sawada?"

Tsuna handed Ryohei the bag and a hammer.

"If you would do the honors, please crush the rings using that hammer."

"Eh?" Everyone was shocked at that statement.

"Are you sure, Sawada, that we can just hammer them until they are crushed?"

"Turf Top's right, Tenth! _These_ are the Vongola Rings!"

"I know. I remember once Xanxus crushed a fake Vongola Ring using his fingers. I believe that the fakes and the real Vongola Rings are made from the same material. If Xanxus could crush it using only his fingers, then why can't a hammer do the same?"

There was silence.

"Well, if Sawada says we can destroy them with a hammer, THEN LET'S HAMMER THEM TO THE EXTREME!"

Ryohei threw the bag at the ground and, with all his might, swung the hammer down. A crushing sound was heard. Ryohei hammered it repeatedly until the crushing noise stopped.

"No way..." Hayato said with disbelief.

"Funny, isn't it? To others, it was a weapon that could be used for mass destruction, but in the end, it was just a set of antique rings easily destroyed by a hammer," Tsuna said as he picked the bag. _Yep. They were totally crushed._ He could feel the broken shards of the rings _._ "We will bury the shards in this hill."

After they buried the Vongola Rings, Tsuna declared, "the Vongola Rings are now destroyed. By this action, we hope that we will prevent the war. But in case the war takes place, I made Gianini prepare sets of A-rank Rings. Though not as powerful as the Vongola Rings, they will help you defend yourselves."

 _The Vongola Rings are now destroyed. The plan starts now._

* * *

 **Edit (07/26/15):**

 **Corrected some grammar mistakes. Beta-read by Aines445. :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

It had been a week since they destroyed the Vongola Rings. Ever since then, the Guardians were busy doing missions all over the world:

Sasagawa Ryohei was given the mission to assist the Varia in Italy.

Gokudera Hayato was assigned to China to negotiate with the Triads.

Hibari Kyoya was given the mission to investigate the origin of the Rings and Box Weapons.

Yamamoto Takeshi was tasked to assist the CEDEF.

Lambo, together with I-pin, was asked to protect Sasagawa Kyoko and Miura Haru.

Chrome Dokuro was given the order to retrieve an informant in France.

When Tsuna heard the report that his Guardians had arrived to their assigned places and were in the middle of doing their respective missions, he gave the order to all the staff to flee and abandon the Vongola Mansion. The only one left was his personal driver, an old man named Sebastian.

Right now, Tsuna was drinking his coffee in the gardens. He was admiring the scenery and the quietness of the mansion.

"Sir, I have finished preparing your car."

Tsuna finished his coffee. "Is that so?" He put down his cup and stood up. "Let's go."

Tsuna walked towards the car. Sebastian opened the door for him. After making sure that his master was sitting comfortably, Sebastian sat down on the driver's seat.

"Sir, where is our destination?"

"Go to the temporary base of the Millefiore Family. I believe it was originally used as the Japanese branch of Giglio Nero Family."

Sebastian turned his head towards Tsuna. "Sir, if possible, may I know the reason why you are going to the base of an ememy famiglia?"

Tsuna smiled and spoke in his native language, _"I'm going to save my Family."_

"Sir?"

Tsuna ignored his confusion. "Sebastian, once we arrive at their base, the moment I step on their grounds, turn the car around and leave immediately."

"But what about you, sir?"

Tsuna only smiled. "I'll manage."

"Sir?"

"And Sebastian, how many times do I have to tell you? Call me Tsuna. We are family after all."

* * *

When Tsuna entered the temporary base of the Millefiore Family, he was greeted by two Guardians of the Mare Rings: Irie Shouichi, the holder of the Sun Mare Ring, and Gamma, the holder of the Lightning Mare Ring.

"Vongola Decimo," Gamma began with a mocking smile, "I don't know if I should praise you for being brave or stupid enough to enter the enemy's territory without the company of your Guardians."

Before Gamma could continue to further insult their visitor, Irie Shouichi interrupted him.

"Gamma, stop it," Irie Shouichi said in a commanding tone.

"Damn it, White Spell bastard. Don't think you can just order us around! You are not superior to us, Black Spell!"

Irie Shouichi looked at Gamma sharply. He closed his eyes and chose not to comment anything to avoid unnecessary in-fighting. He focused his attention back to Vongola Decimo.

"Vongola Decimo, Byakuran-san was waiting for your arrival. Please follow me to the meeting room. But, before we proceed, please surrender your weapons."

Tsuna complied. He removed his gloves and gave them to the White Spell soldier. The guards checked him to see if he was hiding other weapons. When they found none, they proceeded to the meeting room with Irie Shouichi walking in front of him and Gamma trailing them.

There was nothing inside the meeting room except for a big screen and a sofa. He walked towards the sofa and sat on it. He noticed that Irie Shouichi and Gamma stopped trailing behind him. When he looked back, he saw Irie Shouichi was the only one guarding the door, which meant that Gamma was on stand-by _outside_ the door. A few seconds passed when the big screen opened, revealing the boss of the Millefiore Family, Byakuran.

"Hi there!" Byakuran chimed in. "I believe you are Tsunayoshi-kun?" he said in a cheerful voice.

A few moments passed before Tsuna uttered a reply, "And you are… Byakuran?"

"Yep! The one and only boss of Millefiore Family!"

"You're… You're different from what I imagined," Tsuna admitted.

"Really? Well, you're exactly the same as what I imagined!" Byakuran paused. The pleasant aura around him visibly changed to a dangerous one. "Let's cut the pleasantries, okay~?"

"I'm here for a negotiation. I want to prevent the incoming war between our Families."

"Then hand over the Vongola Rings!" Byakuran cheerfully exclaimed.

Tsuna tensed. "Is there any other way besides handing over the Vongola Rings?"

"Nope~!"

"Then would you tell me the reason why exactly you are looking for them?"

"Hmm…" Byakuran hummed a happy tune while thinking. "I guess I can tell you. Tsunayoshi-kun, do you know what the Trinisette is?"

Tsuna's eyes narrowed. "Trinisette?"

"Yep! The Trinisette is the power that makes up the foundation of the world: it is composed by the Arcobaleno Pacifiers, the Mare Rings and the Vongola Rings."

Something clicked in Tsuna's head. Somehow, he already knew the direction of their conversation.

Byakuran seemed to read his mind. "Yes! My goal is to obtain that _'Ultimate Power'_!"

Tsuna lowered his head and spoke in a low voice, Then it seems like I made the right choice." Byakuran raised an eyebrow at this. Tsuna continued, "We already destroyed the Vongola Rings."

Byakuran's eyes narrowed for a second. "Too bad then~?" Byakuran paused. "Shou-chan!"

Tsuna eyed Irie Shouichi as he came forward. "Yes, Byakuran-san?"

"The negotiations are off. _Kill him."_

Everything happened fast. One moment, Tsuna was still sitting in the sofa; then he was next seen lying in the floor in a pool of blood with a bullet shot to his chest.

* * *

Tsuna would admit he knew that day was going to be his final day; his intuition was screaming death ever since he had entered the enemy base yet he still couldn't help but look back at the life had he lived. His life flashed before his eyes.

The day he met Reborn was the day his life started to change.

He spoke to his crush. He made friends. And lastly, he met his Guardians, _his Family_.

Gokudera Hayato, the _Storm_ that gave him advice whenever he was confused.

Yamamoto Takeshi, the _Rain_ that comforted him.

Lambo, the _Lightning_ that would steal his hidden stash of grape candies.

Sasagawa Ryohei, the _Sun_ that healed his wounds, physically and mentally.

Chrome Dokuro, the _Mist_ that saved him from nightmares.

Mukuro Rokudo, the _Mist_ who sugarcoated the truth with lies just so he wouldn't be hurt.

Hibari Kyoya, the _Cloud_ who protected the Family in his own way.

* * *

 _I have done my part._

 _It's all up to you now. Kyoya. Talbot._

And Sawada Tsunayoshi, Vongola Decimo, passed away at the age of 24 with a content smile on his face.

* * *

Irie Shouichi confirmed the death of Sawada Tsunayoshi. "Byakuran-san, his pulse his gone. Vongola Decimo has passed away."

A White Spell soldier entered the room and was tasked to move the dead body. When the body was removed from the room, Byakuran spoke again.

"Shou-chan, do you honestly believe that Sawada Tsunayoshi would allow himself to get killed that easily? Or that he destroyed the Vongola Rings without hesitation?"

"Byakuran-san, what do you mean?"

Byakuran's smile disappeared. "That guy has a plan. If not, how can he die with a peaceful smile on his face?"

Irie Shouichi frowned. "What plan?"

Byakuran's smile returned. "No clue!"

"Byakuran-san!"

"I don't know…" Byakuran said playfully. "But someone from the Vongola might." Byakuran paused. "Shou-chan, find who that is. Annihilate the Vongola if needed."

"Yes, Byakuran-san!" Shouichi said as he left the room.

 _"Let the Vongola Hunt begin."_

* * *

 **Edit (07/26/15):**

 **Corrected some grammar mistakes. Beta-read by Aines445. :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

The moment Chrome had landed in France, she cast an illusion to change her appearance to an old woman. After all, an old woman was nothing but a _weak_ person in the eyes of the world.

Her meeting place with M.M. was near the airport so she walked over. They had agreed to meet in front of the fountain of the plaza. She arrived ten minutes early so she decided to sit and wait.

"When Mukuro-chan told me you'd be in a disguise, I didn't expect you to show up as an old hag."

Chrome looked up and saw M.M. standing in front of her with her hands on her hips.

Chrome only smiled. "No one will suspect a frail old woman is part of the mafia."

"Whatever," she simply retorted and flipped her hair. She sat down beside Chrome.

A few seconds of silence passed before M.M. decided to speak again, "Where's Ken and Chikusa?"

"They're already on standby: they will be acting as decoys in the plan. They will also attack some nearby Families. I'll infiltrate the prison once they give the notice that the Vindice are on the move."

"Hmm… And Fran?"

"He's not included in the operation. He's working with the Varia; we can't just pull him out."

"Damn that coward little frog," M.M. said as she gritted her teeth, "Is he really Mukuro-chan's disciple?"

Chrome didn't comment and instead changed the topic of their conversation. "Did you get the thing I asked for?"

"Of course." M.M. huffed and handed Chrome a key. "I prepared a yacht as your getaway vehicle. I already placed it near the cliff of the mountain where Vendicare Prison is. I placed some first aid in, in case you and Mukuro-chan get badly hurt from escaping."

Chrome smiled warmly. "Thank you. I'll check it before the plan starts."

M.M nodded. "And…" She kept glancing between Chrome and the paper bag in her hand. She blushed before she shoved in Chrome's face the paper bag she was holding the whole time. "It's… a gift."

Curiously, Chrome opened the bag and found a Kokuyo uniform inside.

"This is!" she gasped, her eyes widening out of surprise.

"You will be doing this mission as a Kokuyo Gang member, not as a Vongola Guardian; so I figured you should wear that uniform during the mission," she said while looking at the other direction. She looked back again when she noticed that Chrome was suspiciously quiet. She saw Chrome hugging the uniform and on the verge of crying.

"Damn it! Don't cry, you idiot! Don't forget that you're still an old hag to other people's eyes! People will think I'm bullying an old hag if you cry!"

Chrome wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry. I was just… so happy. M.M. I promise, I'll bring back Mukuro-sama. I promise."

"Damn right. You better do," she said with a smirk. Her phone beeped and she looked at it. "Time's up. I better go now. I still have something to do," M.M. said as she stood up and walked away."

"Take care," Chrome called after her. A wave was her only response.

* * *

She went inside a building and changed her disguise to a young man; after all, it would be strange to see an old woman going to the mountains all by herself.

Chrome first checked the yacht M.M. prepared. She found it a few kilometers away from the Vendicare Prison, near an abandoned lighthouse. It was already hidden well, but as a precaution, she cast an illusion on it to camouflage it from above.

She checked inside the yacht, and as M.M said, it was already packed with some medical tools. There were a ton of bandages and a lot of medicine. There was also a bed that could be used for emergency operations and a defibrillator (she knew how to use one since Ryohei had drilled into the heads of the Guardians all the basics of life-saving, the Sun Guardian having, after all, found his other passion aside from boxing in the medical field).

She next inspected its dock. All of the glass was reinforced and was bullet proof. The dock was also equipped with a KPV-14.5 heavy machine gun (she would not have recognized it if not for the lectures Gokudera had given her about guns).

 _How did M.M. get all of these? It must have cost her a fortune!_ She thought to herself. She was still somewhat in disbelief that M.M., the girl who loved money so much that you could compare her to Mammon, prepared all of that.

 _No, that's wrong._ Chrome scolded herself, shaking her head at her foolish thoughts. _Of course M.M. would do all of this since this was all for Mukuro-sama's sake._

 _And I still haven't done a thing for Mukuro-sama._

 _For his sake, I will make sure that everything goes well._

* * *

Chrome rented an apartment that would act as her temporary base. She only carried a small briefcase that contained all the things she would use: a box weapon, some ratio bars and a small hand gun. She wasn't used to wielding a gun, as she still preferred her trident over any weapon (like how Hibari preferred his tonfas), but a gun could come in handy if the situation called for it.

She changed her clothes to the Kokuyo uniform M.M. gave to her. She moved around for a bit to see if her movements were not restricted. When she felt it was comfortable and easy to move in, she smiled. It was a bit nostalgic for her to fight wearing that uniform. It reminded her of the good old days.

She double checked her things. Her box weapon was on the pocket of her skirt while her handgun was strapped on her thigh, hidden under the skirt. She summoned her trident. Everything was now in place.

It was just five in the afternoon. The plan wouldn't start until midnight, so Chrome decided to use the remaining time to sleep and recover her energy.

* * *

It was exactly midnight when she woke up. _It's time_.

She concentrated and felt Ken and Chikusa's flames ignite. _It's the signal to start the operation._

She stealthily made her way towards the mountain where the Vendicare Prison was located. It was raining hard that night, and she used it to her advantage. It was hard to see and hear anything in a rain like that.

She was already near the mountain when she sensed something. In a flash, something (it suspiciously looked like a tentacle, but why would there be an _octopus_ in the middle of the _mountains?_ ) attacked her. She dodged it and was on guard already. She readied her trident and summoned her flames.

She saw the form of a man walking towards her.

"Found it! Found it! I really found it!" the man chanted. "I found you, Chrome Dokuro!"

* * *

 **Edit (07/26/15):**

 **Corrected some grammar mistakes. Beta-read by Aines445. :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

 _Impossible! How did he find me when it's raining this hard?_ Chrome thought. Suddenly, the heavy rain stopped pouring. Chrome finally saw who her attacker was: it was Glo Xinia, the Millefiore's 8th squad captain. Trailing behind him was his famous box weapon, Kraken di Pioggia.

 _Don't tell me the rain from before was produced by his box weapon..._ Chrome's eyes widened. _He used it as radar to find me!_

"What do you want?" Chrome asked with caution.

"The information is true: you are planning to break Rokudo Mukuro free from the Vendicare Prison," Glo Xinia said, "We can't let you do that."

 _"_ What?" she accidentally said out loud. _Was the plan leaked?_ Chrome thought.

Seeing the confusion on his enemy, Glo Xinia decided to enlighten Chrome. "This afternoon, a Millefiore Informant saw a certain redhead meet with an old woman. He tried to follow the woman but she just disappeared without a trace, so he decided to capture the redhead instead."

 _Redhead?_ Chrome's eyes widened at the sudden realization. "What did you do to M.M.?!" Chrome shouted as she pointed her trident at Glo Xinia.

Glo Xinia chuckled darkly. "Who knows?"

Dark thoughts started to form in her mind. _No, No. I mustn't be distracted. M.M. is stronger than she looks. She can handle herself. I must stick to the plan and believe in them,_ Chrome chanted in her mind.

She decided to resort to one dirty trick in her book that she rarely use, only for _special_ occasions. "Attack me, and it will be the same as declaring war against the _Vongola_ _Family,_ " She threatened. As much as possible, she wanted to avoid any unnecessary fight.

Glo Xinia's right eye visibly twitched. Chrome lowered her guard down to see if her threat worked.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Glo Xinia said, "The negotiations have already started; it will be a matter of hours until Vongola surrenders."

"What are you talking about?" Chrome asked sharply.

Glo Xinia wore a creepy smile. "I see. The Vongola Decimo didn't tell his guardians anything." Chrome glared at him. "Earlier, our headquarters received a report that Vongola Decimo went to the Japanese base of the Millefiore Family. Alone." The word 'alone' was clearly emphasized. "Right now, I'm on standby to capture you."

Chrome finally lost her cool: she twirled her trident and slammed it on the ground, summoning an illusion of lava erupting. "Lies! Bossu would never do anything like that!"

Glo Xinia avoided the attack. "I see, I see. You trust your boss that much? How painful it must be to be betrayed by him!"

Chrome lunged forward, thrusting her trident swiftly and simultaneously towards Glo Xinia. Glo Xinia defended himself using his Rain Whip. The only sound that could be heard at that moment was the clashing of the trident and the whip.

Chrome continued her attack for a moment. She felt her fatigue already catching up to her and starting to slow her down. Glo Xinia noticed this and used it to his advantage. He commanded his box weapon, Kraken di Pioggia, to attack Chrome. Chrome successfully defended herself from the attack but was thrown back due to its force and hit a nearby tree.

She heard a snapping sound. Her right arm broke.

* * *

Chrome panted as she slowly felt the pain from her arm. She leaned against the tree, trying to come up with a plan with the precious time she had, when she suddenly felt the presence of mist flames behind her. _The tree was used as a foundation for an illusion?_ Chrome's eye widened. _Don't tell me...!_

She concentrated and used a little of her flames to dissolve some parts of the illusion. _I was right. I was already near the entrance to the cave of the Vendicare Prison._

 _I must finish this fight before Ken and Chikusa give the signal that the Vendice is on the move._

* * *

She slowly stood up, her left arm clutching her right while her right arm still grasped her trident tightly. Glo Xinia slowly made his way towards her while he commanded Kraken di Pioggia to return to his box.

Chrome slowly pulled out her Box Weapon from the pockets of her skirt. She ignited her ring and injected her flames into the box.

 _I'm sorry, Ryohei-san. I know you forbade me from using this skill, but this is one of those extreme situations_. "Farfalla di Nebbia," she whispered.

Her box weapon was very different from the others as she didn't rely on box weapons that much (again, she preferred her trusty trident by her side over any other weapons, and that included Box weapons). Her Box Weapon, Farfalla di Nebbia (which she affectionally named Chouko), or the mist butterfly, was not made to use illusions to hurt others. Rather, her main use was to support Chrome by merging with her body. She would take over the job of providing Chrome her illusionary organs. She could also numb pain, lessening the strain Chrome would feel whenever she engaged in a battle that needed her illusions.

* * *

Ryohei warned her not to use that skill often. "Your Box weapon is a _Mist_ type, not a _Sun_ type. It only _numbs_ the pain, not _heal_ it. Pain is a natural indicator of our body. It tells you what part of you is damaged and tells your instinct to protect it. Feeling no pain is very dangerous. You won't know what part of you is hurt and inflict further damage to it. Use this skill only when you are under _extreme_ conditions."

* * *

Her box weapon did her job. She merged with Chrome's body and took control of Chrome's illusionary organs. She also numbed the pain her right arm was feeling.

"Done already?" Glo Xinia mocked when he saw Chrome struggling to stand up. "I haven't even showed you the full power of my Kraken di Pioggia."

"No. _Not yet,_ " Chrome said as she straightened up. She rushed forward towards Glo Xinia and attacked him again with her trident. They engaged again in another clash between a trident and a whip, both attacking and defending at the same time. They were even.

 _Nothing will change if I only keep attacking him like this! I must change my pace!_ She jumped backwards and tried to regain some distance. She raised her trident and slammed it on the ground to summon her illusions.

Glo Xinia already anticipated the attack but this time, he didn't move to dodge. He was expecting lava eruptions to surge near him. _He would not be deceived by some mere magic tricks._ But instead of the usual lava eruptions that Chrome used, lotus vines sprouted from the ground and choked him.

"This is..?!" Glo Xinia struggled to break free. _This illusion has a physical body!_

Chrome wasted no time. Seeing her enemy caught by her Real Illusions, she twirled her trident and slammed it on the ground to summon another illusion.

Glo Xinia felt the ground starting to feel hot. He looked down and saw lava forming beneath him. He panicked. He would not let an illusion to defeat him. He stopped struggling and instead reached for his sub-box, Gufo di Pioggia's box inside his jacket.

He immediately found it and opened it just in time before the lava erupted. Gufo di Pioggia flew out of its box and created a giant tidal wave of Rain Flames that extinguished Chrome's flames and illusions.

* * *

The tidal wave managed to hit Chrome.

 _No! That tidal wave of Rain Flames is nullifying my flames! It even stopped Chouko!_ Chrome panicked. Everything was back to square one again. No, not square one, it was way worse than that. The pain her right arm was feeling came back. Her box weapon was now also useless (she returned Chouko to her box to replenish her flames). Her normal illusions didn't work on him. And to top it all off, she already saw the entrance for Vendicare Prison. She was already this near yet she was going to lose again!

* * *

 _"Nagi."_

 _"Mukuro-sama, I'm sorry. The fight might take a few more minutes. Please wait until then. I promise that I will rescue you!"_

 _Mukuro was silent for a moment."No. Nagi, you have done enough. Leave the rest to me."_

 _"But!"_

 _"Listen well, Nagi. I have already lost contact with Ken and Chikusa, and we still don't know what happened to M.M. This is the best course of action for now."_

Chrome stopped herself from protesting. _"… Yes. I understand."_

 _"Good. Now retreat. We will ambush him."_

 _"Yes."_

* * *

Chrome immediately followed Mukuro's orders. She withdrew from the fight and ran away as fast as her feet could carry her.

 _Where? Where is the perfect place we can ambush him?_ Chrome thought when suddenly an idea popped in her head. _The abandoned lighthouse!_

* * *

Glo Xinia was surprised when he saw Chrome Dokuro retreating. _Well, that makes this game more exciting._ With that, he swiftly followed her trail.

Her trail guided him to an abandoned lighthouse. He readied himself for any ambush when he entered the building. He reopened Kraken di Pioggia; he wouldn't make the same mistake of unsheathing his weapon before his enemy. With his two box weapons trailing beside him, he entered the building.

There was only a single staircase leading towards the control room, the uppermost room of the lighthouse. He kicked open the door. He let Kraken di Pioggia enter the room first before he followed.

He heard the sound of the doors closing, and turned around to see what happened.

He saw Rokudo Mukuro rushing towards him with a trident on hand. _Damn! There's no time to evade him!_

He prepared himself to be hit by the trident, but before it pierced him, Gufo di Pioggia shielded him and in his stead, one of his wings got pierced.

 _And the contract was made._

* * *

 **Chouko - Japanese name meaning "butterfly child"**

* * *

 **Edit (07/26/15):**

 **Corrected some grammar mistakes. Beta-read by Aines445. :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note:**

 **This chapter was beta read by Aines445. Thank you for your time and support! :D**

* * *

Chapter 5:

Seeing as one of his box weapons was pierced by the enemy, Glo Xinia retreated to a distance and commanded Gufo di Pioggia to return to his box.

"Damn you! Rokudo Mukuro!" he growled.

"Kufufufufu. You have let your guard down, Glo Xinia."

"Kraken di Pioggia! Attack!"

Kraken di Pioggia immediately obeyed his master: using his tentacles, he attacked Rokudo Mukuro. On the other hand, Mukuro didn't seem to be affected by that command. He was standing still on his position, eyes closed, not even moving a single muscle.

When Kraken di Pioggia's tentacles were about to reach him, Mukuro opened his eyes. Vines suddenly shot upwards from the floor, effectively restraining Kraken di Pioggia's tentacles.

"Kufufufufu. Close combat is not my specialty but I can still manage to deliver some deadly blows," Mukuro taunted. He rushed towards Glo Xinia and their clash started. Their battle was unstoppable.

* * *

 _"Nagi, this may strain your body for a while but bear it for now."_

 _"I understand, Mukuro-sama."_

* * *

Mukuro regained some distance and the kanji on his right eye changed. From the number six, it shifted to one. He slammed his trident on the floor, and the floor started to crumble. The space was distorted and lava eruptions formed everywhere as he slipped quietly into the shadows, vanishing from Glo Xinia's sight.

Glo Xinia appeared to be calm but he was already losing his wits on the inside. He could not see Rokudo Mukuro anywhere. Even though he knew that everything was an illusion, he was not going to attack aimlessly, especially when he didn't have Gufo di Pioggia to nullify the illusions.

His vision was getting blurry. The illusions were already poisoning his mind. It would only take a few moments for him to lose control of his senses.

Vines suddenly shot towards him. They wrapped around his upper body, restraining his movements completely.

 _"Kufufufufu... I have captured you and now it's interrogation time."_

* * *

His vision suddenly cleared, finally giving him the opportunity to properly take in his surroundings. He was pinned to the wall with his upper body wrapped in vines. Kraken di Pioggia, on the other hand, was still wrapped in vines but now frozen, a clear evidence that his box weapon had been defeated. Standing in front of him was Rokudo Mukuro.

"How could I lose to a mere illusionist?!" Glo Xinia growled as he tried to break free from the vines.

"There is only one reason why you lost, Glo Xinia, and that was because your opponent was _me,_ " Mukuro said as he slowly walked closer towards Glo Xinia. He pointed the tip of his trident at Glo Xinia's neck. "Now then, I advise you to spit out all the information you know about what is happening in Japan, or else I will gladly make you see Hell."

A few moments of silence filled the room before Glo Xinia started to laugh crazily. Mukuro pressed his trident against his neck, piercing it slightly; a small trail of blood came out of the wound. _"Talk before I lose my patience,"_ he threatened.

Glo Xinia stopped laughing and instead wore his trademark smug smirk. "We have received a report that Vongola Decimo had arrived at our Japanese Headquarters for a _negotiation_ with Byakuran-sama." He paused. "That is the meeting that will decide who will become the ruler of the mafia world."

Mukuro withdrew his trident. _This feels like the calm before the storm._ He was lost in his thoughts.

Glo Xinia noticed that Mukuro had lost his focus on him. He looked at his box weapon, Kraken di Pioggia, and noticed that the ice surrounding it was already cracking. _I see. He is already at his limit of possessing the body of Chrome Dokuro. I only need to buy a few more minutes to change the outcome of this battle._

* * *

Glo Xinia's beeping watch made the two of them snap back to reality. That watch was a special communicating device developed by Irie Shouichi for the Millefiore.

"To all Millefiore squads," Irie Shouichi's voice was heard. "This is Irie Shouichi of the Japanese branch; I have a special report to make. The Vongola Decimo is dead and Byakuran-san issued a new order: find all people affiliated with the Vongola. A hit list has been released containing all high ranking members of the Vongola Family and their allies. Interrogate all the people listed there and gather information about the Vongola. You have permission to torture and kill them if necessary..."

Irie Shouichi's report continued but Mukuro was no longer listening. He was shocked at what he had heard. _Just when I told you not die, you got full of yourself and did precisely that. Damn you, Sawada Tsunayoshi. Whose body will I now possess?_

Glo Xinia saw this as his perfect chance. "Kraken di Pioggia! Attack Rokudo Mukuro! Now!"

Kraken di Pioggia easily broke through the vines and the ice since Mukuro had lost his focus on his illusions. Using one of his tentacles, he swiftly pierced Mukuro's right side. He then pulled out his tentacle and quickly retreated to his master's side.

Mukuro kneeled on his right knee. _Damn. I got sentimental and let my guard down._ He coughed blood. He clutched his side; it was bleeding heavily. He panted. He felt his flames weaken as his illusions disappeared.

* * *

 _"Mukuro-sama!"_ Chrome shouted worriedly.

 _"Nagi, your body reached its limit and sustained heavy damage. You must escape by yourself."_

Chrome tensed. _"But what about you?"_

 _"Our plan had already failed the moment we encountered Glo Xinia. Forget breaking me out prison. Right now, it is more important to know what is going on in Japan."_

 _"...Yes."_

* * *

Smoke came out of Mukuro's body and when it cleared, Chrome was kneeling in Mukuro's place.

"So you switched back?" Glo Xinia taunted.

Chrome didn't pay any attention to him. Instead, she tried to assess the situation left to her by Mukuro calmly.

 _My organs are already disappearing. Only thirty seconds left before I start having breathing difficulties._

She quickly scanned her surroundings to look for an exit and found a window. She ran as fast as she could towards it and jumped to the sea.

Glo Xinia followed her up to the window. He looked down and saw nothing below.

 _Chrome Dokuro had disappeared._

 _"Hmph. So it managed to escape?"_ Glo Xinia murmured to himself. _"Whatever. The rain produced by Kraken di Pioggia should still be effective. It will be a matter of time before I track down Chrome Dokuro."_

Glo Xinia left the scene with a satisfied smirk on his face.


	6. Chapter 6

**"** **Normal"** **\- Italian**

 **Chapter 6:**

Unbeknownst to Glo Xinia, before Chrome jumped outside the window, she opened her box weapon. Chouko used all the flames she replenished to numb the pain Chrome felt the moment she hit the water. When Chouko felt that no more harm would come to her master, she restored Chrome's organs. Fortunately, Chrome fell near the yacht. She immediately climbed on it and escaped.

She was breathing heavily and clutching her wound using her left arm while her right arm was now limping on her side. She sat on the floor and leaned beside the cabinet where the bandages were placed. She opened the cabinet and grabbed the disinfectant. She removed her shirt and examined her injury; it was still bleeding. She braced herself for the pain and began pouring the disinfectant on the wound until it was submerged. A small whine escaped from her. She waited for a few moments to make sure the wound was clean.

Her left arm was shaking when it reached for the needle and thread. She stuffed her mouth with a clean cloth, her immediate substitute for an anesthesia (there was no time to look for it). _Okay. This is it._ And she started to sew her wound close. After making sure she closed the wound, she bandaged it.

* * *

She lost track of the time while doing the impromptu operation. She didn't know how much time had passed since she encountered Glo Xinia.

She heard some noise outside. She struggled to stand up and looked out a window, finding that it was only some local fishermen. _Where did I end up?_ She hadn't bothered with navigation since her priority was to escape.

She decided to land ashore. She hid the yacht in a nearby cave. She was already walking halfway through the shore when her head started to feel heavy. She was having difficulty in breathing. Her vision was fading.

Moments later, Chrome collapsed.

* * *

She was in a white room when she woke up. _What happened?_ She tried to remember the last thing she did. She looked around and saw that there was an IV attached to her left arm. Her clothes had been changed to a hospital gown. Her right arm was in a cast. She struggled to rise from her bed.

A voice suddenly spoke, "Oh, you're awake already."

She was surprised when she saw the person who spoke. "Doctor Shamal?"

* * *

Doctor Shamal, or commonly known as Trident Shamal in the mafia, was a freelance hitman. He was considered a genius and was widely known to have been offered a position in the elite assassination group, Varia, and refusing it. He was unofficially considered by Gokudera Hayato, the Vongola's Storm Guardian, to be his surrogate parent, thus connecting him to the Vongola Family. He had disappeared from the mafia world five years ago. His current whereabouts were unknown.

* * *

"I'm flattered that you still remember me, Chrome-chan," Shamal said as he walked closer towards her with a flirty smile on his face.

"Where am I?"

"You're in a small village on Tuscany's countryside. This is my clinic by the way," Shamal said, sitting on a chair beside the bed. His smile disappeared. "I was surprised when the local fishermen found you on the shore."

"They found me passed out?"

"Yes. You suffered a hypovolemic shock, an emergency condition where you lose almost 20% of your blood. Not surprising since you did have that large wound on your right side."

Chrome instantly reached for her side. It didn't hurt anymore.

"Relax. I already restitched the wound. I assume you're the one who did that lousy sewing?"

Chrome blushed from embarrassment. "It… It was an emergency...!"

Shamal reached out his hand and patted her head. "I know. And you did well."

Chrome was surprised by his fatherly gesture. _This is not his usual flirting._

Shamal retracted his hand and continued, "Aside from that wound, you also suffered some bone fractures, on your right arm to be exact, and a lot cuts and bruises. Did you fall from a high place?"

Before Chrome could answer the question, they heard another voice. "Dear, you should have told me that she regained consciousness!"

Standing near the doorway was a pregnant woman. Her hands were placed on her hips and she wore a pout on her face as she marched towards Shamal and pulled him by his ear.

"Sergio, don't tell me the first thing you did when she woke up was flirt with her!"

"No, no!" Shamal said defensively, "I wouldn't dare flirt with another woman in front of you!"

"So you would flirt behind my back?"

"Of course not! You're the only woman in my eyes!"

The woman let go of his ear. "Hmph! That better be true!"

"Who?" Chrome whispered to herself.

"Ah, Chrome-chan, I would like you to meet my wife, Amelia. Amelia, this is Chrome Dokuro, an old acquaintance," Shamal said. "You do understand, right?"

 _…_ _Wife?_ Chrome was dumbfounded. When she saw that the couple was waiting for a reply, she nodded as she said in the same foreign language, "I… I can speak Italian."

Amelia's mood instantly shifted as she perked up. She took Chrome's free hand and shook it. Chrome was distracted when she saw the wedding ring she was wearing but quickly focused her attention back to her. "This is great! I thought we'd have difficulties in communicating since we have different nationalities! I would like to have a long chat with you since you are the first acquaintance Sergio brought home!"

 _Sergio?_

"Amelia," Shamal gently cut their conversation. "Why don't you make her something to eat first?" This statement was supported by Chrome when her stomach unconsciously growled. Chrome only turned red from embarrassment.

Amelia didn't seem to mind it and only smiled. "Ah! That's right! You must be starving after all, right? Just wait and I'll make you some of my specialties!" Amelia said as she left the room for the kitchen.

"Sorry about that. Ever since we tended to your wounds, Amelia has been a little too enthusiastic about talking to you," Shamal said as he scratched the side of his head. Chrome looked closer, and saw that Shamal was also wearing a wedding ring.

"You're called Sergio in here?"

"Yeah. I can't afford to place her in any danger by associating with the name _Trident Shamal_. I may not use that name anymore, but one can't outrun the mafia easily."

Chrome hummed. "Did you tell Hayato-kun about this?"

Shamal grunted. "Why do I have to tell Hayato about my marriage? I only told Reborn and Decimo about this before I disappeared from the mafia."

"Hayato-kun considers you his surrogate father. He may not show it, but he worries about you."

Shamal turned around to hide his embarrassment. "Like hell he does."

Chrome only chuckled. "You've already changed a lot. I can see that you've abandoned your womanizing ways and became more fatherly." She smiled warmly towards him.

"Okay, enough with the talk. Behave yourself and go get some rest. You suffered a life-threatening injury that usually takes months to heal. And since I'm not blessed with sun flames, I can't make your injuries heal faster than normal," Shamal said, scolding Chrome like a child. "I've already thrown out your bloodstained clothes in the ocean to create a fake trail. You're being chased, right?"

Chrome tensed.

"It's alright, you don't have to answer." Shamal shrugged when he saw her like that. "I've also hidden your gun under the foam of that bed. You can easily reach it if you slip your arm in that small gap between the foam and the headboard. As for your box weapon, it's been active ever since we found you. I guess it was the one providing your illusionary organs the whole time you were unconscious. I hid it under your pillow." He walked towards the door. "I'll just go help Amelia in the kitchen, so shout if you need something."

"Doctor Shamal," Chrome softly called, stopping Shamal on his way. "…Thank you."

"You can thank me with a kiss, Chrome-chan." He winked, and then walked away.

* * *

After Shamal left the room, she immediately looked under her pillow and saw Chouko's box. It was still open, just as Shamal said.

"Chouko," she softly said as she held the box, "thank you. You have done well. Go back to your box now."

Chouko slowly materialized and took the form of a large, indigo butterfly. She rested in Chrome's shoulder. She was clearly tired but Chrome could still feel her flames on her body. Chrome gently patted her head.

"It's alright. I'm fine now," she whispered, "I know that you were already tired from the last battle and yet you pushed yourself to maintain my illusionary organs for this long. Rest and replenish your flames inside your box. I'll call for you when I need your help."

Chouko hesitantly obeyed her master: she slowly left Chrome's body and went back to her box to rest.

The moment Chouko left Chrome's body, Chrome felt pain all over. _I see. So that's why you were hesitant to leave? You've not only been maintaining my organs but you were also numbing the pain from my wounds._ She clutched Chouko's box near her chest.

 _In the end, everyone is always saving me. Why can't I do a single thing for them?_


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note:** **  
Hi! Sorry for the late update. D: I took some time off the Internet to review for my midterms. Anyways, please enjoy the new chapter. :D**

Chapter 7:

It took Chrome a while to re-create her organs. Her flames felt like they had not been used in a long time, so she had some difficulty with them. She had already finished stabilizing herself when Shamal came back to the room and set up a small table.

"Amelia wants to eat with you," he said while setting the table, "Since you are in no condition to get up, she insisted we dine in this room instead."

After he finished setting the table, he went back to the kitchen and called his wife. Amelia carried the pot while he helped her carry the plates and other utensils.

"I made some vegetable soup," Amelia said as she raised the pot she was holding, "It's good for recovery so eat it while it's hot, okay?"

She placed the pot on the table and served Chrome some of the soup.

"Can you eat by yourself? Or do you want me to feed you?" Amelia asked with a warm smile as she gave Chrome her plate.

Chrome shook her head. "I can move my left arm, so I can eat by myself."

"I see." Amelia pouted. "But just tell me if you're having difficulties, okay?"

Chrome smiled as a response. _She will be a good mother._

* * *

After Amelia served Shamal and herself, they started eating.

"Chrome, can you tell me how you and Sergio met each other? What kind of girls did he flirt with?" Amelia asked with an innocent smile on her face.

Shamal choked. "Amelia! Don't ask her such things!"

"Why? Are you hiding something, _dear_?"

"N-No. I'm not hiding anything," Shamal stuttered. _Pregnant wives are scary!_

"Chrome, go on. Tell your story."

Chrome sensed Shamal's dilemma and wisely chose her words. "Doctor- I mean Sergio and I worked under the same company. He had an apprentice who was a close friend of mine. As for his flirting... He was usually ignored by the girls he flirted."

* * *

What Chrome was saying was the truth. Before Shamal disappeared, Ryohei became his apprentice for a while (Shamal agreed when Kyoko pleaded). Though it was a short time (Ryohei lost it when Shamal flirted with Hana in front of him, so he quit and asked Romario instead), he was the one who drilled in Ryohei's brain the different ways of treating an illness (since Ryohei was the type who would learn through experience, he let him experience the 666 diseases of his Trident Mosquitoes).

* * *

"I see!" Amelia beamed as she clapped her hands while Shamal released a sigh of relief in the background. "By the way, would you like another serving of the soup?" she asked when she noticed Chrome had quickly emptied her plate.

"If you don't mind... Yes, I would like that," Chrome said as she gave the plate back to Amelia.

"Of course I wouldn't mind!" Amelia cheerfully stated while taking the plate from Chrome. "It's understandable for anyone who was unconscious for three weeks to be as hungry as you are."

 _"... What?"_ Chrome uttered as she dropped the spoon she was holding. _I was unconscious for three weeks?_

"Chrome? What's wrong?" Amelia asked worriedly when she heard the clanking of the spoon on the floor. "Does something hurt? Dear-" She stopped in the middle of her sentence, seeing Chrome trembling and hyperventilating. She immediately shot her husband a look.

"Amelia, get out of the room." Shamal quietly ushered his wife. "It's a panic attack. I'll calm her down, so please."

"I understand. I'll be waiting outside." Amelia immediately left the room just as Shamal asked.

* * *

 _"I have to go. I have to go back to Japan. Three weeks is a long time. A lot of things must have happened during that time. I need to know what happened to them..."_ Chrome chanted incomprehensively, struggling to rise to her feet.

"Chrome-chan! Calm down!" Shamal exclaimed as he stopped her by holding her shoulders firmly. He then released a trident mosquito that bit Chrome her neck. "The effect of this mosquito is the same as an antidepressant. It will help you calm down. "

It took minutes for the sting to take effect. Chrome slowly stopped her trembling and her breathing returned to normal. She sat back to the bed. Moments later, she cried her heart out. Shamal only patted her head.

"What happened?" Shamal asked, clearly worried, "It's not like you to lose yourself like that."

In between sniffs and sobs, Chrome told him about her fight with Glo Xinia and the message from Irie Shouichi that he had received during their fight.

"I see, so you were escaping from this Glo Xinia guy before you came here." He paused. "And you need to go back to Japan to confirm... _things_?"

"I have already lost a lot of time. I need to go back to Japan right now," Chrome said as she started to wipe her tears away.

Shamal only scratched his head. "I won't stop you since I know you're someone who wouldn't throw your life away easily. I'll help you."

"Thank you," Chrome said.

"Since you're calm now, I'll just go outside and explain things to Amelia. She's probably worried sick about your condition," Shamal stated as he left the room.

* * *

Shamal told Amelia an impromptu lie: he said that Chrome had only experienced some anxiety attack, and that he immediately needed to go back to her hometown to have her check up on her family doctor. Amelia believed what Shamal said. She gave Chrome some of her clothes and packed her some supplies she could need on her way there.

* * *

Shamal and Chrome used an indirect path to go to the cave where Chrome had hidden the yacht. However, they stopped walking midway when Shamal silently ushered her to hide behind a tree. They hid behind the trees and bushes nearby and saw that there was a group of Millefiore's White Spell already on the island.

"This is bad. It seems like those bastards have already figured out you were hiding in this island," Shamal said in a serious tone.

Chrome gasped. "What should we do?"

"This is the countryside: it's far away from the city so there is still a big chance you can escape through a plane. Even if this so-called Millefiore Family can rival the Vongola, I doubt they can mobilize their forces in the middle of the day without tipping the government."

Chrome gave that some thought. "I see. I'll do that. I'll go to the city alone and escape via plane."

"What do you mean by alone? I'm accompanying you."

Chrome shook her head. "No, it would be better for you to go back to your house. The Millefiore's White Spell are already here. If they found out that right now, Trident Shamal's wife and unborn child are here and defenseless, it is high likely that they'll take them hostage and use them against you," she explained, "It's best for you to flee from here and take refuge in another location."

Shamal looked visibly torn at Chrome's suggestion.

"Don't worry about me. I can handle myself," she assured him.

"Okay, I get it already. I'll go back now with no arguments, okay? Just remember to be careful and when you encounter an enemy, run away from them: you can't overexert yourself or else your wound will reopen. Avoid running too much or exerting too much force on your right side."

Chrome only nodded.

After that conversation, they went their separate ways: Shamal went back to the village while Chrome made her way to the nearest town.

* * *

She easily located the local airport and went there. With her mist flames, she created fake documents that were necessary for the flight and some money. She was sitting on the lobby of the airport when she felt a familiar flame signature behind her.

She concentrated for a while and built a mist barrier that would make their conversation unheard from the outside.

"Mukuro-sama," she greeted.

"Nagi," Mukuro greeted back, "I lost contact with you for three weeks."

Chrome got Mukuro's hidden message: _'What happened to you?'_ Even after all these years, Mukuro was not a person who would voice his concerns openly.

"I apologize. I was badly hurt during the fight with Glo Xinia and have been unconscious for three weeks. Doctor Shamal was the one who found and looked after me."

"Trident Shamal? You made contact with him?" Mukuro asked, clearly surprised.

"Yes. During the time he was missing, he settled down in the countryside. I have already instructed him to flee with his wife so as to avoid conflict because of his contact with me."

"A wise decision." Mukuro paused before he spoke again. "The body that I am currently using used to belong to Guido Greco, an Italian murderer. With his body, I gathered information on what happened to Ken, Chikusa and M.M.. It seems that they have escaped from the Millefiore successfully and are now hiding at Fran's hometown."

Chrome breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

Mukuro let several seconds pass before he continued again. "I have also contacted Sasagawa Ryohei."

"Ryohei-san? Is he alright? Did something happen to him?"

"The loud-mouth was fine, but he brought some bad news: the Vongola HQ has been destroyed."

Chrome's eye widened at the news. "... No, that can't be," she whispered to herself.

"That's not all," Mukuro said, "According to him, Sawada Iemitsu and Nana have gone missing."

"Maman and Papan are missing?" Chrome asked with fear in her voice, "Could it be that they were captured by the enemy?"

"There's still that possibility." Mukuro paused. "Right now, the whole Vongola has broken into a state of emergency and CEDEF has been the one handling the situation. Aside from that, I tried getting information of what is happening in Japan using Fujimori Mitsuru's body, but it seems that the enemy has already sniffed him out. They already killed all the people I have possessed."

Chrome was silent for a while. "About that, I'm already on my way to Japan. I have already bought the tickets under a fake identity. As soon as I reach Namimori, I'll relay all the information I gathered."

"No," Mukuro sharply said, "Nagi, I'm here to tell you about my new plan. I'll infiltrate and gather information about the Millefiore using this body. I will take Fran as my back-up. This is a dangerous mission, and to be sure that they won't detect me, I will cut off my communication with you. I have already possessed Glo Xinia's box weapon, which will serve as my messenger in case something happens."

"... I see."

When no one spoke for a long time, Chrome thought that the conversation was over and dispelled the barrier as she stood up. But, before she walked away, she felt Mukuro grab her arm. Mukuro leaned towards her and whispered to her ear. _"Abbi cura di te, Chrome."_

* * *

After hearing those words, Chrome felt torn. Her Mukuro-sama just spoke to her in _Italian_. To others, it might be nothing but to her it meant that her Mukuro-sama just broke his lifelong promise to her: to converse in Italian with his _real_ body. Not only that, she also noticed that this time, instead of _Nagi_ , Mukuro called her _Chrome_. It took her a few seconds to realize the meaning behind Mukuro's actions.

 _Mukuro-sama knows that this might be our last meeting. That's why he spoke to me in Italian. He also acknowledged me as his equal when he said my name, Chrome, instead of Nagi._

* * *

Chrome tried to stop her tears as she said, " _Anche tu, Mukuro."_

Mukuro only smiled after hearing her words. With that, they parted ways.

* * *

 **Fujimori Mitsuru - the young boy Mukuro possessed at the end of Kokuyo arc.**

 **Abbi cura di te, Chrome. – Italian for 'Take care of yourself, Chrome'.**

 **Anche tu, Mukuro. – Italian for 'You too, Mukuro'.**

 **Before I end this note, I would like to promote another story of mine entitled, "Nightmares can turn to sweet dreams". It is the love story of Shamal and Amelia (my OC). If you are curious on how they met, please take your time to read it. Thank you very much!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

Chrome's flight to Japan took at least twelve and a half hours. Her plane landed in Kokuyo, Japan at seven in the evening. The moment she got off the plane, she already felt the flames of the enemy.

 _This is bad, the airport is already filled with the enemy. It would be bad if they discovered me. With my arm still broken and the wound on my side, I would be in a disadvantage if a fight ensued._

Chrome carefully made her way out of the airport while making sure she wouldn't attract any unnecessary attention towards her. She was already near the parking area when she heard some voice shouting: judging from the sound, one could correctly guess that they were a part of Millefiore. She decided to eavesdrop on their conversation a little and hid at a nearby wall.

* * *

 _"What do you mean by that?! Are you telling me that you let that damn cow brat escape?!"_

* * *

Chrome heard the man throw a fit and the sound of glass breaking.

* * *

" _Whatever. Just make sure this time, you won't fail. We can't let the White Spell continue to mock us by letting a big fish go. If the reports are correct, the female Vongola Mist Guardian should be here at any time. We must capture her at all cost, is that clear?"_

 _"Y-Yes, sir!"_

* * *

Chrome gasped. _How did they know?_ Her eye widened as she thought of the possibilities. _Don't tell me something happened to Doctor Shamal?!_

"Missy, it's not good to eavesdrop on a conversation, you know?" A voice coming from behind startled her.

"?!"

Before she could turn around and see who sneaked behind her, she felt her attacker grab her left arm and twisting it before slamming her on the wall.

She heard footsteps coming towards their direction. _It's probably the men who were arguing before. I need to escape before they get here!_

She tried to move but her attacker was still holding her firmly.

"Don't move. I don't like using violence on women," the black spell soldier hissed on her ear, "I'll advise to stay put until I bring you to Captain Gamma's custody."

 _Lightning Gamma?! This is bad. If he's the one who captures me, I'll be killed for sure!_

Using all of her strength, she took the Black Spell soldier by surprise, hitting him with the back of her head. She broke free when his grip on her loosened and quickly distanced herself away from him. Afterwards, she summoned her trident.

Chrome opened her box and made Chouko use all her flames to numb her wounds. She removed the cast on her right hand and held her trident tightly using both of her hands.

"D-Damn you!" her earlier captor stuttered. He had his hand covering a bloody nose. Apparently, Chrome has applied so much force to her headbutt that it made his nose bleed.

The sound of footsteps came closer, only for Chrome to find herself being surrounded by a huge number of Black Spell soldiers.

"She's the Female Vongola Mist Guardian! Capture her!"

All the Black Spell shouted and opened their respective boxes in unison. Different kinds of flames and different kinds of Box Animals had surrounded Chrome.

 _Chouko has only replenished half of her flames since we last saw Doctor Shamal. I must not drag this fight any longer. I have to finish this quickly!_

* * *

She skillfully dodged every attack aimed at her while at the same time concentrating her flames in her trident. When she felt that the concentrated power of her flames was enough, she twirled her staff and slammed it on the ground. Lotus vines shot upwards, capturing her enemies. She slammed it again and magma erupted on every spot a Black Spell soldier was positioned.

She was panting: it took all of her flames and energy to create a widespread Real Illusion like that and poison her enemy's minds. But still, there was no time to rest; she took up all her remaining energy and started to walk away from that place.

She had already walked a distance of ten steps when she heard a gunshot. She felt her right leg begin to feel heavy. When she looked at it, she saw it was bleeding; the bullet grazed her leg.

She heard the sound of a gun being loaded. She turned around and saw that one of the Black Spell soldiers who was lying on the ground was the one who was holding a gun and shot her.

 _His mind should still be poisoned by my illusions so he shouldn't be able to get up. I don't have enough flames to knock him unconscious. I must get away from here now!_

She ignored the soldier and only focused on escaping.

* * *

Sensing her master was in another trouble, Chouko tried her best to reinforce her flames and numbed all the pain Chrome was feeling. It made all the fatigue Chrome was feeling vanish. Chrome knew that what Chouko was doing was dangerous but she only let her be since she knew that her priority was to escape from there alive. She could deal with her wounds later.

She used all indirect paths she knew to reach Kokuyo Land and throw her enemies off in case they still had a trick on their sleeve to track her down.

When she reached it, she immediately noticed that something was off. Chrome instinctively knew that someone had gone inside Kokuyo Land. _Is it the enemy?_

She cautiously entered the building and prepared herself for an enemy ambush attack. She couldn't afford to sustain anymore wounds because Chouko was already reaching her limit in using her flames.

She reached their room without problems. The room was dark and messy like it used to be but something felt off. She heard the sound of sobbing as she entered the room.

"Who's there?" she asked in a sharp tone while she readied her trident.

"Chrome-nee...? Is that you?"

She was immediately able to deduce from the voice who the intruder was. "...Lambo-kun?"

She heard sounds of running and suddenly she found herself being crushed in a tight hug by a crying Lambo. Slowly, the room was illuminated by the moonlight, revealing the face of a crying Lambo.

"Lambo-kun? What's wrong? What happened?" she asked. Something big had definitely happened since Lambo, who hated dark and creepy places with a _passion_ equivalent to _Ryohei's_ , came to Kokuyo Land.

Instead of answering her question, Lambo rested his head on her shoulder and sobbed louder.

"Lambo-kun?" she said his name worriedly. Though the Lambo she knew was a crybaby, she knew he wouldn't cry hard like that without a proper reason.

"It's all my fault!" Lambo stated in between his sobs. "I didn't protect them! They're dead because of me!"

Chrome tensed when she heard that. "Who... who died?"

Lambo's body was shaking. He raised his head and looked straight at Chrome. "Kyoko-nee, Haru-nee and I-pin."

"What?" Chrome eye widened as her grip on her trident loosened and it fell on the floor. She felt like the world stopped for a second. "What do you mean by that? What happened? Lambo-kun!" she shouted as she shook Lambo by his shoulders.

Lambo answered her with a shaking voice, "I-pin and I were tasked by Tsuna-nii to protect Kyoko-nee and Haru-nee. When news of Tsuna-nii's death was announced," they both tensed when he said that, "I-pin and I thought that Kyoko-nee and Haru-nee would be targeted and planned to bring them to the underground base."

"The underground base?" Chrome asked. "What about the Vongola Mansion?"

* * *

The underground base was constructed at Tsuna's request with the intentions of separating his and guardians' normal life from the mafia. Even after all these years, they had kept it a secret from Kyoko and Haru that they were part of mafia (Kyoko and Haru knew that they were hiding something but they chose to wait for them to come out with the truth and say it) and they were planning to keep it that way. Tsuna made it a rule that it was only for people who were in the front lines of the mafia.

On the other hand, he constructed the Japanese Vongola Mansion with the intention of making it their home. Tsuna planned to make the Vongola Mansion carry an air that would make everyone feel safe and comfortable. That was why every time they would hold a Guardian-exclusive meeting, it would always be at the Vongola Mansion and not at the base, as they knew they could speak whatever was on their mind if they were at their home.

A base was different from a home. Although not all of the Guardians would admit it, all of them preferred to stay at the Vongola Mansion instead of the underground base.

* * *

Lambo looked at the floor. He closed his eyes as tears continued to escape from his eyes. "The Vongola Mansion is... Our home is already in ashes."

 _Our home is gone?_ This shocked Chrome so much that her knees gave up and she fell to the floor.

"Chrome-nee!" Lambo shouted worriedly and kneeled beside her.

"I'm alright. I just lost my balance," Chrome said as she was trying to hide the forming tears in her eye with her hand, "Continue what you're saying."

Lambo sat beside her. "We were ambushed by the Black Spell. Apparently, they still haven't located the underground base and decided to follow us. They got impatient and decided to capture us." Lambo paused for a moment. "We tried to protect Kyoko-nee and Haru-nee but we were no match for them: I-pin sacrificed her life and tried to buy us some time but they still caught us. Kyoko-nee and Haru-nee died protecting me from the attacks and explosions..."

Lambo paused. Chrome felt his flames flicker wildly.

"I was useless. I was the one who was supposed to be protecting them and yet they died protecting me!" Lambo shouted as he started his sobbing again.

 _This is bad. His flames are starting to flicker wildly and if this continues they might go berserk. At this rate, his mind and body might break!_

Chrome hugged Lambo who was now crying hysterically in her arms. She immediately withdrew Chouko's flames from her body that she was using to numb her wounds and instead used them on Lambo. She gently enveloped him with mist flames.

"Chrome-nee...? What are you doing? Your flames..." Lambo muttered in a soft tone, his words trailing off.

"Hush now, Lambo-kun. You need to rest. Sleep for now. Let my flames take you to a sweet dream," Chrome said as she gently patted Lambo's head.

Seconds later, Lambo fell asleep crying but with a small smile on his face. Chrome softly placed his head on the floor. She got up, using her trident as a makeshift cane, and began to look if there were still some pillows and blankets lying around.

Fortunately, she found a pillow and some old blankets. She also found the first aid kit though it was almost empty except for a few (luckily) clean bandages and some disinfectant. She carried these back to the room. She slowly positioned Lambo's head on the pillow and covered him in a blanket.

She tried to go to the rooftop quietly, but she was already failing to do so because of the noise her leg (which was shot earlier) would make every time she dragged it. She sat on the middle of the rooftop, using the moon and the stars as her light; she slowly tended to her wounds. She felt the stinging of the disinfectant, which made some of her tears escape from her eyes.

Ever since she withdrew Chouko's flames, the pain had returned. The stitches on her side had reopened and started to bleed again while her right arm was now limping on her side.

 _I must hide these wounds before Lambo-kun wakes up. I don't want him to worry about me. He has already been through a lot. I must be strong so that he can depend on me._

Chrome felt her vision getting blurry because of her tears. _Is this still because of the disinfectant?_ The more she tried to stop herself from crying, the heavier her chest felt.

 _It's not because of the disinfectant that I'm crying. I'm crying because of the deaths of my friends._

In the end, she stopped restraining herself and cried her heart out silently.

 _... Death leaves a heartache no one can heal._


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note:**

 **I deeply apologize for this very late update. I've been busy with my studies and have no time to write a new chapter. ;_; Thankfully, semester break came...and well, I finally found time to pick up and write where I left. Thank you for those who patiently waited for this new chapter! :D**

 **I also would like to thank those who followed/favorited/reviewed this story while I'm gone. Usually, I would have sent you PM to personally thank you but since I really don't have time (my sem break only lasts two weeks and well, I also have other things to do) I'll thank you guys here. Thank you very much for your support! :D**

 **And now on with the story~**

* * *

 **A short recap:**

Chrome found Lambo taking refuge in Kokuyo Land. From him, she heard the deaths of her close friends (I-pin, Haru and Kyoko) and the Vongola Mansion is burned. Lambo nearly had an emotional breakdown, but Chrome used her flames on him to calm him down and made him asleep.

* * *

Chapter 9:

The sound of something falling and rolling in the floor awakened Lambo from his sleep. He got up and checked the source of the sound only to find Chrome crouched in the floor, picking apples on the floor. One rolled near his feet, he crouched down to pick it.

"Chrome-nee? What are you doing?" he asked as he helped her collect the remaining apples.

"Ah, Lambo-kun!" Chrome exclaimed. "I'm sorry. It looks like I've woken you up because of the noise when these apples fell…" She hurriedly finished gathering the apples on the floor and placed it inside the makeshift basket she made from a blanket. Lambo also placed the ones he picked up inside it.

"No, it's alright." Lambo said as he stood up. He extended an arm to Chrome, which she accepted and helped her back to her feet.

"I tried to look for a decent breakfast," Chrome explained. "But all I found was these apples from the trees we planted on the backyard a long time ago and some of Ken's emergency supply of snacks, though most of them were already past their expiration date…"

They went back to the room. Chrome put down the improvised basket in the middle of the sofa. They settled themselves down in the unoccupied sides. Due to the hunger they felt, they unceremoniously started eating their humble breakfast. And in a blink of an eye, they finished everything.

"Chrome-nee, what happened last night? I remember telling you about what happened to the girls. What happened after that?" Lambo asked as he licked his fingers for the leftover crumbs.

"You… You fell asleep after that," Chrome lied hesitantly and unconsciously clutched the hem of her clothes. She didn't have the courage to tell the younger guardian about his breakdown last night and used her flames to him as a sedative. She might have over done it a bit, seeing Lambo doesn't remember last night's events.

"I fell asleep in the middle of an important conversation?" Lambo may not be observant at all times, but he found out about Chrome's lying habit a long time ago. _Chrome-nee really sucks at lying. I wonder if she did something._

"Ye-Yeah!" Chrome exclaimed nervously. "Lambo-kun, you are tired so it's no wonder you fell asleep immediately!"

Lambo gave her a wary look. ' _Chrome-nee would definitely tell me if something important happened,'_ he thought and dropped the subject. "Chrome-nee, what will we do now?"

Grateful for the change of topic, Chrome answered, "Right now, the key to turn the tides of this war is information. We need information regarding our comrades and allies. It is best if we could go back to the Underground Base without giving our location to the enemy."

"But how can we do that when the Millefiore's sniffing everywhere for us!" Lambo exclaimed.

"Regarding that, I'm planning to use the Foundation's entrance."

"The Foundation's, you mean…?" Lambo's eyes widened after he saw Chrome's affirmative nod. "No way… I mean, how? Why? _Where_?" Lambo attacked Chrome with a bunch of questions.

Chrome only smiled at the curiosity of the younger boy, "Calm down, Lambo-kun. I'll explain things to you." The location of the Foundation's entrance was one of the top secret information in the Vongola Family. It was a well-known fact that Hibari Kyoya hated to be around his fellow Guardians and made sure only a handful number of people aside from the Foundation's members knew. As for the Guardians' part, they assumed that the only ones who knew in the Vongola Family is Tsuna. It was because of these facts that Lambo was surprised with Chrome knowing its location. "Hmm… How to put it," Chrome murmured to herself as she began looking for the right words to explain her situation. "Well, there was this time where Hibari-san owed me a favor or something like that…"

"Huh?! Hibari-san owed you a favor?"

"You see, Hibari-san was similar to Hayato-kun: he possessed another flame besides Cloud."

"What? Wait… Don't tell me!" Lambo yelled as he connected the dots fast enough.

Chrome nodded, "Yes. His other flame is Mist. Anyways, to make the story short, he ordered me to teach him how to use his flames behind Mukuro's back. After teaching him, he came to me saying he didn't want to have any debts unpaid and told me the location of the Foundation's entrance. He said to use it only during emergency situations."

"I see…," was Lambo's only reply. He's having difficulty in absorbing the new information especially the part Hibari having mist flames. Hibari is known for his hatred of illusionists, and him having mist flames… Oh, the irony.

Chrome continued elaborating her plan. "Right now our goal is to reach the Namimori Shrine, where one of the Foundation's entrances is located. We will go there using the mountain in the back of the Kokuyo Land. Since it has been raining around the area recently and this area is known for mudslides, we can gamble that there should be only a few numbers of Millefiore soldiers who are patrolling the mountains. From here, it should be at least thirty to forty-five minutes, if we run without stopping, before we reach Namimori Shrine."

."Then once we're inside the Foundation, we can contact the Underground Base is that it?"

"No," Chrome shook her head, "Actually, did you know that there is a secret passageway that connects the Underground Base and the Foundation?"

Lambo perked up, "Then that means..!"

"Yes, once we got inside the Foundation, then it is already as good as being safe," she declared while a smile slowly appeared on her face.

That statement definitely made Lambo's face beamed brighter.

* * *

They went their way on the afternoon. Luck seems to side them as the heavens sent down a heavy rain, washing away their tracks while giving the enemy poor visibility. They encountered nothing and true to Chrome's word, they reached the Namimori Shrine within thirty minutes.

They climbed up the stone stairs. The rain has already stopped. Some mud puddles are already formed in the ground. The sky was still dark but the clouds were beginning to clear up. Chrome walked behind the komainu, the lion dogs that guard shrines, and ignited a small flame from her ring.

"Follow me, Lambo-kun," she said as she walked and disappeared between the pillars. Lambo obeyed and followed suit. He walked between the pillars, just like Chrome did, and discovered that there was a hidden door camouflaged by mist flames. There is no light and as he continued to walk, he felt his feet descend down on a stair. He let the stairs guide his feet until he reached its last step where his eyes found a light and Chrome waiting for him. She is standing in front of a steel door with a small keypad on the side. Seeing Lambo has already reached the floor, Chrome proceeded to enter the password and the door opened.

After stepping inside the Foundation, they were greeted by a familiar face: Mochida Kensuke. As if anticipating their arrival, he has brought with him a pair of towels and gave them each.

"Mochida-senpai," Chrome acknowledged him with a small hint of surprise while Lambo greeted him happily; "It's Mochi!"

"Hey! Stop calling me that stupid nickname! Call me senpai, brat!" Mochida corrected Lambo affectionately. Lambo only grinned.

"Did you know we are coming?" Chrome inquired after wringing her hair dry.

"I saw you in the cameras when you reached the shrine." Mochida responded.

"But I thought the cameras are disabled because the Foundation's base is empty since Hibari-san went abroad?" Chrome further questioned.

"Not anymore," Mochida answered with a smirk. "Hibari-san has just returned. Right now, he's visiting Namimori School."

"Really?" Chrome and Lambo beamed at the news.

"Yes, and now I suggest the two of you to change clothes," Mochida said out of topic. "Hibari-san will bite the two of you to death if he knew you dirtied his base," he pointed to the puddles formed from the water dripping from their wet clothes. "I've already prepared them on the nearby room."

The two of them gave him an appreciative smile, "Thanks, Mochida-senpai/Mochi!"

After they finished peeling off their muddy clothes and putting on the yukatas – whose colors matches their respective flames – Mochida prepared for them, Mochida led them to the door that connects the Foundation and Underground Base. He punched a series of numbers in the keypad nearby and the large, steel door opened.

"Hibari-san will probably sent Kusakabe later to contact you. Well then, see you later, I guess?" Mochida bade them good-bye as he stood on the other side of the entrance.

"Yeah, see you later, Mochi!"

"Thank you for the help, Mochida-senpai."

He gave them a casual wave of hand before the steel door closed.


End file.
